Help with drastic cutting

[Shelly White]

I am new to the art of Bonsai and I have a Ficus that I have been letting grow for a few years and now it is time to cut it back.... but now that it's time to cut back I'm nervous. I don't want to kill my tree! It has grown tall and lanky and it's roots have grown considerably. They have fattened up but my trunk isn't as thick as I was hoping for. Either way I feel as thou t is time to prune considering how tall it has gotten and it's shape is really not looking very nice.
I know cutting back is the next step but figuring out where to cut is my issue. I do not want to cut it too much and have it die as I have worked hard to keep him alive (even cleaning each leaf with cotton swabs when it got scale one year)

If anyone can give me an idea of where I should cut him properly it would be much appreciated. I'm considering wire training as well since he wants to be so upright and he has started to lean to one side.

 

[Shelly White]

Back story: It lives outside and was pretty tall when I got it (not this tall about 5 inches or so less) I read that letting the tree grow for a couple years can help thicken the trunk and then you drastically prune it.
I want to do the double trunk style and have been considering re potting it in a wider dish since the roots are off to one side and I would like to get them going on the other side as well but I feel like first thing in order is to cut it back.

I had hoped letting it grow for a couple years would not only thicken the trunk but that it would grow a few more main branches but that didn't happen. I had attempted to creat branch growth by shaving away some bark in an area (something I read online) which didn't work. At this point I'm not sure what really works. I've read some people graft but that seems like cheating to me.

Clearly I am new to bonsai and I have done some reading but my tree is just so dang tall and lookin at it I'm not really sure where to go with it.

 

[StoneCloud]

Welcome to the forum and to Bonsai!!! It's a crazy journey never give up!!!!

As for advice on the tree I'm trying to put something together I'll be back lol!

 

[Shelly White]

Welcome to the forum and to Bonsai!!! It's a crazy journey never give up!!!!

As for advice on the tree I'm trying to put something together I'll be back lol!

Thank you! I'm eagerly awaiting! Haha

 

[Shelly White]

Also do you recommend cut paste? I heard plasticine from micheals and Vaseline works as well. I've also read that ficus sap is like latex so does that mean that ficus doesn't need cut paste? If I cut off a bigger branch should I use cut paste? I read that smaller branches you can leave a small knob and let it dry it then cut and it leaves less of a scar.
I would like to get some opinions on cut paste wether to use it or not to use it.

 

[Tieball]

I have trees, American Elm and Hackberry, that are 10' to 12' tall. Trunks are getting close to a larger diameter I want. When I am done growing thickness I'm only interested in about the first 10" to 12" of trunk nearest to the soil...so it doesn't really matter how tall the tree becomes. It's not about size.

Cutting, chopping a tree down definitely slows down the thickness growth. Your tree doesn't look that tall to me....and the trunks not to thick.

I'd let your tree grow wildly tall....translating into thickness at the base. Then, when the tree trunk is thicker and the tree is still tall I'd probably layer the tree at the soil level for new roots.

Cut paste, sealer....some love it some dismiss it. I use it. I like it. It works well for me.

 

[Shelly White]

I have trees, American Elm and Hackberry, that are 10' to 12' tall. Trunks are getting close to a larger diameter I want. When I am done growing thickness I'm only interested in about the first 10" to 12" of trunk nearest to the soil...so it doesn't really matter how tall the tree becomes. It's not about size.

Cutting, chopping a tree down definitely slows down the thickness growth. Your tree doesn't look that tall to me....and the trunks not to thick.

I've been letting it grow and the trunk has gotten a bit thicker but it seems like the exposed roots are the ones that are really gaining the thickness. They have doubled almost tripled in size while the trunk has only thickened a bit :/

Is there something I can do to help the trunk gain the thickness more than the roots?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

You're in Tampa, is this thing outside unless temps dip below about 45f? It looks like it's been inside. If you want it to take off, get it out in the heat and sun and it should about jump out of that little pot. Once it gets growing strong for a few weeks, you can chop it down a little lower, force it to bud back, and bring the whole thing back into scale.

 

[Shelly White]

You're in Tampa, is this thing outside unless temps dip below about 45f? It looks like it's been inside. If you want it to take off, get it out in the heat and sun and it should about jump out of that little pot. Once it gets growing strong for a few weeks, you can chop it down a little lower, force it to bud back, and bring the whole thing back into scale.

It has been outside its entire life with me. It was by one of my palms I recently moved it out front in hopes that it would get more light and help it thicken up. I was considering putting it in a larger pot to help it thicken up but I'm almost to the point of giving up on thickening it cause it's so darn stubborn. The roots are thickening more than the base of the trunk and it just gets taller. I think it started leaning to get more light so I moved it to full sun.

I only take it in when we get a frost warning. It's pretty warm here year round. The coldest it got this year was low 60s

 

[Shelly White]

My whole plan was to get its trunk to thicken which I read to leave it be for a couple years (which I have with the exception of minor upkeep. Removing large leaves to keep them small and cleaning up scale it got once)
But the roots seem to double in size and the trunk is only growing a little. I wanted to try a sacrifice branch but I don't think any of those branches are low enough. I attempted to get it to grow a lower branch by scraping off bark in one are (I read this online) which didn't work and now I'm getting worried it's getting to tall and unshapley.

I read other ways to get a branch to grow... but I am scared to try them as they sound like I could damage him. I'm not very experienced.

 

[StoneCloud]

I would suggest potting it lower and covering those roots all the way up to the split trunk.

See if you can tie the two trunks together, ficus fuse very well. This is probably going to be your fastest route to a thicker trunk.

Regarding cut paste, you are right about ficus sap and it does technically seal it's own wounds, but bigger chops, and how humid it is down here in FL could have problems and cut paste would be recommended....

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Nice flowers!

Sorce

 

[Saddler]

In my experience with ficus, they love to be repotted and root pruned. You could cut 90% of the roots off and put the tree in new soil, in dappled shade and it will explode with growth. Once you have a lot of new leaves started, move to full sun and fertilize regularly. Ficus are strong growers and I have to grow mine inside 2/3s of the year and they are happiest outside. My ficus only look like yours with the long gangly growth when it hasn't been repotted in a couple years. When was the last time you repotted it?

 

[GGB]

bigger pot will give you faster growth. wayy bigger pot

 

[Shelly White]

In my experience with ficus, they love to be repotted and root pruned. You could cut 90% of the roots off and put the tree in new soil, in dappled shade and it will explode with growth. Once you have a lot of new leaves started, move to full sun and fertilize regularly. Ficus are strong growers and I have to grow mine inside 2/3s of the year and they are happiest outside. My ficus only look like yours with the long gangly growth when it hasn't been repotted in a couple years. When was the last time you repotted it?

I repotted it about 3 yrs ago. I will try reporting it and see what happens.

 

[erb.75]

big pots for big trees....don't put it in too big of a pot, but a 1 gallon or 3 gallon I'd think would be good for it. Adam Lavigne is in your state, and does a lot of great stuff with material that does well in your area....www.adamaskwhy.com

 

[CWTurner]

I chopped one of my wife's overgrown ficus houseplants and it didn't go well. No real growth except low down on the trunk. It's been over year and still no sprouting up further on the trunk.

I think I saw here afterwards that with ficus, you need to leave some leaves on every branch. My advice would be to repot as others have said, and hopefully you will get backbudding, then you'l be able to cut it lower.

Good luck.

CW

 

[Saddler]

I repotted it about 3 yrs ago. I will try reporting it and see what happens.

Water and fertilize heavily a couple of weeks before you do it and then root prune it hard. If you can plant it in the ground for a year or three, it would help the trunk thickening immensely.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I chopped one of my wife's overgrown ficus houseplants and it didn't go well. No real growth except low down on the trunk. It's been over year and still no sprouting up further on the trunk.

I think I saw here afterwards that with ficus, you need to leave some leaves on every branch. My advice would be to repot as others have said, and hopefully you will get backbudding, then you'l be able to cut it lower.

Good luck.

CW

That was probably a benjamina, which this one appears to be a cultivar of. This small leaf cultivar will do better at backbudding, but with benji's it's always best to leave some green on the branches. Willow Leaf Ficus and microcarpa, not so much.

 

[Shelly White]

Thank you guys so much! I will post pictures of it in a couple months after fertilizing and repotting! I will repot it into a larger pot as me and my husband are looking at houses and won't be staying at our current one for too much longer. If I keep it in the pot for a year will it be suitable to transplant it into the ground after that? It sounds like they handle reporting/transplants well.